


to remember

by avio



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Body Swap, Happy Ending, M/M, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 11:39:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10684536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avio/pseuds/avio
Summary: [written for the iwaoi exchange! Kimi no Na wa au - contains spoilers for the movie bc i have no sense of creativity for aus :'Dalso the character death is very brief and only temporary!!!!!!!!]At first, they think it's a dream. After a while, though, it becomes impossible to ignore - Hajime is from Tokyo, and Tooru is from a small town in the country. They wake up as each other and have to compromise to protect each others' lifestyles.





	to remember

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello this is only like... five days late right.  
> i wrote this for @aunno on tumblr - i flipped when i saw the prompt bc i absolutely adore Kimi no Na wa and i wanted to make this right but i think i may have gotten a little over excited so i apologize for anything that seem a little... carried away D:  
> Ann darling i do apologize bc i know you asked for no character death but gosh i'm so parallel with my aus and hopefully this is alright because it is incredibly brief and this does end happily but if you do not like it please let me know and i can revise it ;u;;]
> 
> this may be mildly confusing if you haven't seen the movie,b ut i think for the most part you can get it! 
> 
> this does contain spoilers for the movie so there's that. the character death is very brief and the ending is a happy one i promise.  
> also shout out to be best bro Nana thank you so much for reading over this for me i love you man ;__; <3
> 
> Ann darling i hope you enjoy this! ;o; <3 <3

“ _Iwa-chan!”_

 

Sometimes he hears the soft call of what seems to be his name. He doesn't think much of it, despite how it gnaws at him, something he wants to remember, _needs_ to remember. He has work, though, so he pushes it aside before he's late.

“ _Iwa-chan?”_

 

“ _Iwa-chan, don't you remember me?”_

 

_~*~_

 

This isn't his room. No matter what way he looks at it, this isn't his room. It's not cramped and messy, but clean to the point of meticulous. There's a uniform he doesn't recognize set out on the desk chair. He can see curls of hair at the edge of his vision, and there's a vague tinge of pain in his knee.

Immediately he finds his way over to a standing mirror, and stares in disbelief.

“Who the hell is this?!” He leans forward, pulling at the curls atop his head.

“Hey, Tooru!” The shoji slams open, and a young boy looks down at him. “What are you doing?” Disturbed confusion is on the boy's face, eyebrows raised. “It's breakfast. Let's go.” He slams the shoji closed.

Hajime looks back at his(?) reflection. “Tooru, huh?” This dream is pretty bizarre, even for a dream.

~

“What is _this?_ ” Tooru is alarmed by how magically buff his arms seem, staring at the muscle on his biceps. “This definitely has to be a dream, these arms are to die for!” He flexes in the mirror, laughing quietly to himself. The room he's in is a little small, and a lot of messy, but it's cozy, he supposes. The phone on the floor buzzes, and Tooru immediately goes over to see, curiosity piqued.

“Late to school?” He mumbles, reading over the text from 'Hanamaki' then looking at the uniform hanging up. “That's a pretty fancy uniform. I was wondering why I would need to go to school if this is a dream.”

When he steps outside of the apartment, he's shocked by the view of the city, buildings far as his eye can see. “Oh my god,” he says, approaching the porch and smiling at the view. “This is amazing!”

He's supposed to make his way to this school, but he has no idea where it is, and he keeps getting distracted by how lively and incredible the city is. He thinks about all of his conversations with Yacchan about going to the city, the dreams he's had of leaving his small town, leaving the embarrassing life he leads in Itomori.

He gets to the school around noon, too captivated by the city to pay much attention, and he ended up getting lost a few times. Another boy loops an arm around his shoulder, dusty pink in his hair. “I think that's a new record, even for you, Iwaizumi. Even after I texted you.”

Iwaizumi?

“Ah, well, you know,” Tooru says, fingers fluttering a little, “one has to stop and appreciate the sights! It is Tokyo, after all!” He smiles his trademark smile, but his companion only raises his eyebrow.

“You've been living here your whole life, Iwaizumi,” an amused voice from his other side says and those are probably the most impressive eyebrows Tooru has ever seen in his life.

“Well,” he huffs, “don't you ever stop to smell the roses? It's not a bad idea, you know. It's nice to remember the beauty of the world we live in!”

Hanamaki bursts out laughing. “What's with the dramatic flair? You're weird today. Something good happen?” Hanamaki grins at him, and there's something mischievous about it that Tooru's not quite sure he likes. He nearly forgot that he's... Iwaizumi, whoever that is.

“Ah, no, just... woke up feeling a little different!” That, at least, isn't a lie.

After school, Hanamaki and Matsukawa take him to a real life cafe and he can't even pretend to be this (apparently normally kind of dull) Hajime person. He's never been to a cafe!

“Oh my goodness, look at this!” The strawberry parfait he ordered is oozing with strawberry sauce and fresh fruit and he just has to take a picture. The extravagant price was certainly worth it, he thinks as he digs in. “It's like art for your mouth! Delicious!”

Hanamaki and Matsukawa share a look, glancing over at him in amusement. “Hey, so, aren't you gonna be late to work?”

“Work?”

 

This dream is kind of getting out of hand, Tooru thinks, when he has to don the apron and and start running orders in and out of the Italian restaurant's kitchen, bustling back and forth and thank god he has such a good, crisp memory, or this would be ten times harder than it actually is. It's actually not too bad, once he gets over the fact that he has to earn a living in this glamourous Tokyo dream of his.

It's when some asshole calls him over, seediness all over his expression, that things fall a little South.

“So, hey, you there!”

Tooru can already tell he's going to be a piece of work.

“So like, I found this toothpick in my food. That's pretty dangerous, don't you think?”

Tooru raises his eyebrows, leaning forward to inspect the offending pick. “Hm, I mean, I would say so, but we don't have toothpicks like that here. I'd know, don't you think?”

“Are you saying I'm lying? I don't--”

“Ah, is there a problem?” The boy who gently nudges Tooru brings him back to reality a little bit. Right. He's not Tooru in this dream. He's Hajime. Still, though!

“Yeah, there's a problem!”

“I'm so sorry about that, sir! How can I help you?”

 

“Aren't you gonna thank Suga-san for saving your ass back there? That wasn't like you at all, you know.” Another boy frowns at him, arms crossed. “You don't usually bait the customers. You yell at _Kyoutani_ for baiting the customers. What got into you?”

“Eh, it's no harm Shigeru-san!” Suga sets down a tray of dishes, smiling gently at Tooru. “That guy sure was a dick. I did what I had to do, officially, but you certainly did call him out on that con. I always knew there was more to you than meets the eye!” He laughs, and it's a pretty laugh. He's rather refreshing, and surprisingly calm after that asshole's stunt.

“Thanks for saving my job, I guess!” Tooru chirps in response, and Suga laughs again.

“You can be pretty sassy, huh, Hajime? I think I like it!” There's a deviousness in the way he says it.

“Suga-san, could it be that there's more than meets the eye with you, as well?”

“So bold, Hajime!” There are tears in Suga's eyes and Tooru laughs with him.  
~

[ _who are you?_ ]

The words are in his notebook, but that's certainly not his handwriting. His handwriting has always been loopy and neat and pretty, while this is more... solid, if anything. Bolder, as if the writer had a heavy hand. That's a weird thing to find in his notebook. He wonders if perhaps Tetsu was playing some kind of joke on him, leaving cryptic messages in his notebook.

 

“Looks like you're back to normal today,” Kenma says at lunch, not looking up from his DS.

“Normal? Kenma-chan, I'm _always_ normal!” He flashes a smile, peace sign at his forehead.

“Oh! Does that m-mean-- are you feeling better today, Tooru?” Yacchan asks, looking up from her bento imploringly. “You were, um, a little strange, yesterday.”

“Strange?”

“Your hair was a mess for one,” Kuroo says, “and you forgot your name in class which is, uh, hilarious.” He grins at Tooru, and Tooru raises his eyebrows. “Don't you remember?”

“I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I know I had a pretty weird dream last night, but nothing too out of the ordinary at home.” He frowns, looking up at the leaves above them.

“The ritual's tonight. You've been under a lot of stress.” Yachi looks back down at her food, poking at it. “It's no wonder you haven't been feeling too great lately.”

The ritual. Tooru doesn't actually mind it – he's been doing it for years, honestly, and it's his duty as a keeper at Oikawa Shrine. He knows the dance so well he could do it in his sleep. Twice over. He has made the sake for the gods many a time, it's almost second nature to him when he carefully, gently, spits rice into the basin for it to ferment and become sake. The most frustrating part is the loud gossip of those who don't get it, those who think he's just the mayor's son, who is into weird rituals.

Baa-chan would say not to let it get to him, and he honestly tries not to. It's just embarrassing that he can't even verbally slam the assholes who talk about him behind his back but loud enough for him to hear.

“I still don't really get what you guys are trying to say,” he sighs, leaning back on his arms in the grass. “But the ritual for the gods isn't as hard as you think it is.”

Here, Yachi smiles softly. “We'll come see you, of course. We love watching you dance.”

He smiles back. “Thanks.”

“We can discuss plans for the autumn festival! Since the comet they keep talking about is gonna be visible that night.” Tetsurou nudges at Tooru. “Your fans will love to see it.”

Tooru responds with a peace sign. “Of course, Tetsu-chan! It'll be a sight to die for!”

~

Hajime wakes up and looks at his palm.

[ _Tooru_ ]

“What the?” Wasn't that the name of the boy in his dream?

 

“Oh, look, you didn't get lost from gazing at the wonders of the city today!” Hanamaki greets him, smirking.

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Aw, Hajime! No fun today, are you?” Suga-san winks at him and laughs. Since when was he on such familiar basis with Suga-san??

~

Everyone is staring at Tooru when he enters the classroom the next day, and he has never felt more confused in his life.

“Yahoo, Yacchan! Why is everyone being so weird today?”

“Wh-what? You mean you don't remember, Tooru?” Yacchan tilts her head, adorable as always, and he only feels more confused.

“Remember? Remember what?”

Tetsurou starts to laugh from his other side, leaning his elbow on Tooru's shoulder. “Man, I can't believe you did that, to be perfectly honest. I mean, I knew it'd get to you eventually.”

“Did what?”

~

_It always seemed like those three were talking about him. This Tooru kid, at least._

_The thing is, the impression Hajime got from everyone about Tooru is that he was kind of flashy, and didn't deal too well with assholes. But then these guys come along and talk shit, and--_

_“Why don't I ever stop these jerks?” He mumbled to Yachi, who was beside him. “They're talking about me, aren't they?”_

_“I mean, I know your dad said something about it, not too long ago, but yeah--”_

_Hajime slams his fist on the desk beside them, startling the three dissenters, before tipping it over and alarming them. The gossip stopped immediately._

_“Oops,” was all he said, crossing his arms and ignoring Yachi's wide-eyed look of shock._

_~_

“This definitely can't be a coincidence,” Hajime mumbles to himself, looking at the days he seems to have missed in his phone, days he had to have – as bizarre as it sounds – lived as Tooru, in Itomori, hours away from Tokyo. He sees memos about making friends with Suga and he sees pictures of pastries and parfaits and fancy coffees. It appears that while he is Tooru, Tooru is him, and it's starting to get on his fucking nerves.

~

They leave each other memos and notes in their phones.

 

[Iwa-chan, would it kill you to possibly try at least _some_ hair product? As the mayor's son, some amount of dignity _is_ expected!]

[I wouldn't even know where to start, Shittykawa. Who needs this much product?]

[Just because you don't care about your prickly hair doesn't mean I have to neglect mine!]

[Have you seen your counter? There is so much. How much money do you spend on it? Do you have no concept of expense? On that note, stop wasting my money on frivolous crap, and filling up my memory with pictures of it!]

[It's your body that gets to eat them!]

[how does someone like you take care of a shrine. How does anyone I don't know what to do?]

[Iwa-chan, you work too much! You're wasting your youth away!]

[Well if you would stop _spending my money_ I wouldn't have to!]

[You're not the only one working these shifts!]

 

[Suga-san is so hilarious! I don't get why you weren't friends with him before!]

[Stop messing with the people I know! I'm not even that close to him!]

[Iwa-chan, I'm usually quite popular, but I keep getting more love notes. What are you doing?]

[You're more bearable when I'm you.]

[Don't be so rude! It's not like _you_ have any admirers!]

[I don't need them and I don't want them!]

[JEALOUSY DOESN'T LOOK GOOD ON ANYONE IWA-CHAN]

~

It's been a couple months, and there hasn't been any kind of end to the switching.

Hajime's used to it, by now. Tooru's irritating, but now he can't help but be endeared to it. He's grown fond of his nephew, Takeru, and has learned a lot from Baa-chan.

Today, she's taking them to a 'cave in the underworld,' or so she says. “We must bring with us the sake from the ritual, to offer the gods, so that we can continue to all be connected.”

“Sake?”

Takeru rolls his eyes. “Tooru, this just happened a couple months ago. You're not _that_ forgetful.”

Baa-chan smiles, eyes crinkling. “We have a long journey ahead, boys.”

 

She wasn't kidding. They hike all day, up a steep mountain, through forest and rock. Hajime carries her on his back and Takeru follows close behind. It's a nice day, the scenery is beautiful, and it feels good to just keep going.

They reach a valley, where there's a rock structure surrounded by water.

“Beyond this is the underworld,” Baa-chan says, and Takeru splashes through to the cave. Hajime sets her down, and she lights up a lantern and leads them inside the cave.

“Everything comes together. Everything is connected. _Musubi._ When you eat something, it becomes part of your body, and you are connected. This sake is half of you, an offering to the gods, to be one with them.”

Baa-chan's words are always so fascinating, and Hajime feels a sense of reverence as he places the bottle of sake on the altar.

“Oh, Tooru,” she says, glancing up at Hajime, “are you dreaming right now?”

~

There are tears in Hajime's eyes when he sits up in his own bed, but he has no idea why.

A text tells him that Suga-san's on his way to a bridge nearby.

“Shittykawa,” he murmurs, quickly getting ready to go meet his new friend courtesy of one Idiotkawa Tooru. The following date is awkward and strange for him, and he doesn't miss Suga's confusion. _They must really get along._

_How annoying._

“I'm just going to call him,” he's grumbling as he scrolls through his phone for Tooru's number. “Call him and tell him to stop befriending random people--”

“Your call cannot be completed as dialed...”

“Oh. Weird. I guess I'll just yell at him next time we switch.”

~

There is not a next time.

Whenever Hajime calls him, there's the same message. Maybe he put in the wrong number?

He misses him. He misses the switches, almost, as well. He stares at the notes in his phone, the cute emojis and bubbly language. The pictures of ridiculous confections and coffees.

He sits at his desk, pencil in hand, and sets to work.

~

“Suga-san? Hanamaki?” The last thing he expected was to see them waiting for him at the train station. “Hanamaki, I told you to cover for me!”

“Hey, now, we're just a little worried! Where could Hajime-kun be going off to so suddenly? To meet someone from online? That's dangerous!” Suga has his hands on his hips, lips twitched into a smile.

“It's not-- it's not like that.”

“I was worried, too, Iwaizumi. What if they're a total creeper?”

“Yes, exactly! We wouldn't dream of letting you go alone!”

“It's not like-- I don't quite have a concrete plan, guys.” He shows them the sketches of the town he's been dreaming of. “I just need to find this place.”

“You don't even know what it's called?”

“That's pretty sketchy, Hajime!” Suga looks over the sketches, tongue poking out slightly. “These are nice, though. I'm sure we'll be able to find it!”

~

They are not actually able to find it. Somehow, nobody recognizes the places on the paper, apologetically shaking their heads (meanwhile, Suga and Hanamaki play tourist. Hajime rolls his eyes. Useless.).

It's not until the waitress in the ramen shop they stop at for lunch exclaims about it that they get anywhere, and she calls over one of the other waiters.

“Ushijima, isn't that Itomori? Isn't that where you grew up? Ah, before the comet hit.”

Hajime stops short, staring up at her. “Comet?”

Ushijima nods. “Yes. There was a comet a few years ago, and it wiped out the town in its entirety.”

 

~

He doesn't give up there. He needs to read more into it. They reach the nearest library and not a single article where Itomori is so much as mentioned is overlooked. Hajime reads everything he can get his hands on. He reads and he reads, anxiety bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

“Oh, hey, Iwaizumi,” Suga hands him a heavy tome, eyes averted. “Uh, found this.”

Hajime takes the book and stops breathing for just a moment.

_**Names Of The Deceased** _

The title glares up at him, mocks him, and the anxiety that's been settling in his gut all day rises. He swallows, hand hesitant over the cover, before he flips it open and begins to read.

The names are listed with the ages below them. His breathing is shaky as his fingers traces over the many names, turning pages, noting some that were familiar. He stops over a pair next to each other.

**Kozume Kenma, 16**

**Kuroo Tetsurou, 17**

“Tetsu, Kenma...” Just a week ago, he was sitting in lunch with them, as Tooru. Just a week ago, Tetsu was messing with Kenma, nudging him gently and laughing. Kenma was quietly murmuring about overcooking his rice. They were _right there,_ just a week ago.

**Yachi Hitoka, 17**

In his mind, he can see sweet, small Yacchan, with her encouraging smile and nervous fingers. His heart is pounding loudly, his head throbbing. He turns the page, and--

**Oikawa Tooru, 17**

He can't control the tears that gather in his eyes.

 _He's dead._ Hajime can't breathe. He nearly feels dizzy. “I can't believe this,” he says quietly, staring at the bold kanji, mocking him from its page.

**Oikawa Tooru**

“Oikawa...”

Sleep is impossible, when he and Makki and Suga get to the inn.

Tooru is dead. He's _been_ dead, and for _three_ years, at that. Along with five hundred people, along with Kenma and Tetsurou, with Yachi, with Baa-chan and Takeru.

“He's dead.”

“That's him?”

“Hey, uh, are you sure that's the guy you meant? Like, this whole town was wiped three years ago, Iwaizumi.” Suga raises his eyebrows, finger on the name.

“That's him. I know it is.”

“Just like how you knew it was the place you thought when we were at those ruins today? Man, come on. Maybe just get some sleep?”

They mean well, definitely. The concern in their expressions is unmistakable, and Hajime is grateful. They didn't even have to come with him, but they did it anyways. Suga's eyes are getting droopy with lack of sleep, and Hanamaki keeps inclining his head toward his shoulder. When they look at him, they have a soft sort of pity to them.

“Thanks for coming with me, guys.”

“Don't worry about it. Didn't want you getting lost.”

He smirks, reaches for Hanamaki who dodges just in time.

 

It's when he's lying on the futon at the inn, staring up at the ceiling, when he thinks back to Baa-chan's words about time.

_Everything is connected._

_This is half of yourself given to the gods._

“I might still have a chance.”

~

The ride seems twice as long, this time. It's quiet and almost stifling, but Ushijima-san is being kind enough to give him a ride. Hajime thinks about the last time he came here, Baa-chan on his back and Takeru trailing behind.

_Musubi. The connection between us and the gods. The connection between us and each other._

“Ushijima-san, thank you.”

“That was a beautiful picture, Iwaizumi-san. It meant a lot to see it rendered so nicely.” Ushijima-san's smile is sad, wry, and Hajime bows low in thanks. He then faces the horizon, ready to hike the rest of the way.

“And now to step into the Underworld,” he says quietly, grinning a little at the memory of Takeru gleefully hopping through the water.

~

It's exactly as he left it, only now, it's covered in dust and moss and age. His heart aches as he takes the bottle he placed as Tooru, uncapping it. “Half of Tooru,” he murmurs, taking a capful of the sake and knocking it back.

He finds himself slipping, falling backwards, looking up to see the image of a comet drawn on the cave ceiling.

 

When he wakes up, it's in Tooru's futon.

He scrambles over to the mirror, eyes wide and teary as his hands go to his head of curls, down over wet cheeks.

“Tooru!”

He turns sharply as Takeru opens the shoji.

“T- _Takeru!_ My nephew!” Hajime stumbles as he tries to makes his way to Takeru, but the shoji slams back closed, Takeru's expression panic-stricken. He hears Takeru muttering something about how Tooru's finally lost it.

Hajime grins, sniffles. “He's _alive._ ” Realization hits him, and he checks the phone quickly. “It's today. The comet hits today. I-I need to save him. I need to save everyone.”

~

Tooru awakens with a gasp, and it's dark, and a little cold. “Where...?” He presses his fingers to the back of his head, and feels Hajime's short, chopped hair. He sees the old mural of the comet on the ceiling, turning in alarm to the small shrine. Confusion is nearly overcoming him as he confirms. “Why is Iwa-chan _here?_ ” He carefully stands up, dusting off his knees, picks up Hajime's phone to head back to town.

Only, the town's not there, and Tooru's heart drops.

“Wh-what? Where is it? What happened--?” He inhales sharply as he remembers, with a scary vividness, the beautiful comet in the sky, how part of it broke off-

“ _Oh my god,”_ He laughs out, delirious, shaky, anxious. “D-did I just? Right then, did I _die?_ ” He swallows, staring at the crater that lies where his town should be.

 

~*~

 _“Oh, won't Iwa-chan be so surprised when I just show up out of nowhere!” Tooru grins, clutching his phone as he boards the train after sending a very confused Takeru home without him. He taps his knee as the train moves, watches the scenery flash by, a giddy smile on his face. “He'll probably try to be gruff and mean!”_ But, I'd like to think that by now, he doesn't mean it. He doesn't mean any of it. _He can't help the swell of hope rising in his chest, pulling at a curl and staring at the log in his phone._

_However, when he gets to Tokyo, he's suddenly not as certain as he was when he boarded the train. How is he supposed to know where he is? How is he supposed to find him? It's not like they could actually run into each other; Tokyo's a huge city, after all._

_Of all things that Oikawa Tooru is, a quitter is nowhere near one of them. He treks on, walking down streets and shops, taking trains here and there. He walks until his feet are sore enough to rival his knee, which is complaining with vigor. Whenever he tries to call Hajime, he gets a failed message._

_He almost gives up when he sees the familiar hair through a window of a slowing train, and he can feel his earlier excitement return with a vengeance, the hope in his chest blooming and soaring. He runs to the doors, making his way inside, aches and pains forgotten, until_ holy shit Iwa-chan is right in front of me!

_“Iwa-chan!” He damn near chirps it, his smile wide and eyes hopeful as he approaches him-_

_-Only to receive no kind of response. Hajime is reading something on his phone, completely unaware that Tooru's standing_ right in front of him _._

_“Umm, Iwa-chan?”_

_When Hajime lifts his gaze up to meet him, there is nothing there. No recognition. Almost no reaction. Tooru starts to wonder if, maybe, this was a mistake? But, that's definitely Iwa-chan. He's right there. Tooru's been looking at that face every other day in the mirror for weeks now._

_“Iwa-chan?” He swallows, the euphoria from moments before crumbling, replaced by anxiety. “Don't you remember me?”_

~

Hajime suddenly remembers the day Oikawa came to see him, three years ago. He remembers seeing the crestfallen expression that tugged at him for some reason, the hurt in pretty brown eyes.

He reaches the crater where the cave lies, and calls for him.

“Too--!”

~

“--ru! Tooru, are you here?”

Tooru peeks up from where he sat on the ground hugging his knees, looking over to the sunset, feeling a little baffled. Was that his own voice he heard just now? Could it be?

“ _Tooru!”_

“Iwa-chan?” He murmurs, standing up suddenly and whipping behind, front, to his sides. “Iwa-chan?!” He starts to run, trying to find the source of the call.

~

It's so much different, seeing Oikawa like this instead of as an unfortunate reflection in the mirror. The sunset colours him prettily, his eyes glittering and large.

“Iwa-chan,” he breathes, and, oh, he's _gorgeous_. “Iwa-chan, it's really you!” There are tears in his eyes and Hajime reflexively reaches out to him, to gently wipe them. “You know me! It's you! It's _really you!_ ”

“I wanted to come see you, since I didn't know you when you tried to see me. I don't know what you expected, honestly, trying to come meet me before I knew you. You're so stupid sometimes.”

“What?! Iwa-chan, don't be so mean! How was I supposed to know that?” His pout is just as adorable and irritating as Hajime thought it would be, in person, and he can't help how much he loves it already. “H-how did you get here anyways? I thought-- I remember, th-that I die--”

“Oh. I drank your sake. I didn't know if it would actually work, but I really wanted to try.”

He doesn't expect it when Tooru's face takes on an entire new shade of red. “I-Iwa-chan, you _pervert!_ I can't believe you _drank that!_ I knew you were a brute, but, oh my _god!”_

His embarrassment gives way to laughter, though, and it's a sound Hajime will always treasure, warm and encompassing. He joins in, and somehow their fingers linked together.

They don't have a lot of time. Once the sun meets the horizon, they'll lose each other. Tooru will have to run to make sure the evacuation goes smoothly. Hajime will be home, back to school, back to work--

“Iwa-chan, I don't want to forget you.” He's holding out a pen. “We have to find each other again.”

Hajime grins, takes the pen, takes Tooru's palm. “Yeah. Good point. If we wake up, we might not remember.”

Tooru takes the pen back, tip poised on Hajime's palm, when he disappears, and the sun has set, and the pen falls to the dirt. Hajime's heart aches, a new pain gripping it. “Tooru?” Alarmed, he whirls around, trying to find him, but he's gone. His palm only has the start of the name.

“Tooru, Tooru. That's an easy enough name to remember, it's fine, I--”

He doesn't remember.

His heart breaks all over again.

_I didn't want to forget!_

~

_Iwa-chan, Iwa-chan, Iwa-chan! Your name is Iwa-chan! I wont forget, I can't forget!_

“Oi, where've you been?” Kuroo smirks at him from his moped, bag of explosives on his shoulder. “Are we gonna blow this thing or what?”

Oikawa nods, quickly mounts the moped behind him. “Once the power is dealt with, Yacchan will make the announcement. Where's Kenma?”

“I made sure he was safe. Let's go blow up some power stations!”

~

_I can't remember._

The comet is splitting. Fear and adrenaline propel Tooru forward, running, running, until he can get to his father.

_I can't remember._

They stopped Yacchan's announcement, Kuroo's father was going to drag him away.

_I can't remember!_

He has to get to his father.

_What's your name? I don't want to forget!_

When he trips, he catches the ink on his hand. His hope doesn't have time to bloom when he sees what's written.

_{I love you.}_

“How is this supposed to help me?! How am I supposed to remember your name with this?” He can't help but smile, because he (who? w _ho?_ ) was always so blunt and gruff, and to the point, wasn't he?

Tooru has to get to his father.

_I may not know your name, but I know that I love you, too._

_~_

_Three years ago, Hajime looked up to see the comet and its meteor shower tearing through the air. At that point, it was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, though it is not the most beautiful thing he will ever see. That will come later._

_~_

Five years after his home town is destroyed by a comet, Tooru catches the eye of a man in a suit through the window of a train, and he feels like the pieces were _this close_ to finally coming together. He's been searching, and searching, for years he's been searching, and he feels like-- He thinks maybe, maybe he might--

The man's expression is stricken and shocked as he presses his hands against the window. Their trains pass each other. Tooru feels like crying.

~

_I've always been searching for something, for someone!_

_~_

“Wait!”

For years, Hajime has been looking for someone, could always feel it in his bones but could never actually find them. This, though, this man was so familiar it hurt. To pass him by without saying something-- well, just the thought of it makes Hajime feels like he would regret it for the rest of his life.

The beautiful man turns around, and he looks at him, there are tears in his eyes and Hajime's heart is surging with emotion.

“Have we met before?”

His eyes widen, wet, ( _glittering,_ ) and he inhales sharply at Hajime's question (Hajime remembers a similar sight, at a different time of day, but it's definitely those eyes, that hair, that face, _that man_ \--) “Thank god. I thought it was just me. I was really, really beginning to think it was just me.” He grins, _smiles,_ relieved, and it's the most breathtaking thing Hajime's ever seen.

 _This_ is the most beautiful thing he will _ever_ see.

 

“What was your name again?”

 


End file.
